Written by

R. Norman Moody
| FLORIDA TODAY

Air Force Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, a three-star general, former astronaut and former commander at Patrick Air Force Base, finds her military advancement stalled.

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri says the astronaut Hall of Famer's nomination as vice commander of Air Force Space Commandwon't proceed until she gets more information about Helms' decision to overturn a military-jury conviction in a sexual-assault case.

The move comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of sexual assaults in the military - an issue that, despite lawmakers and the Department of Defense vowing to fix it - only ...